Tag: bands

We’ve played together for almost fifteen years. We met in a band playing AC/DC’s music, and now have played Zeppelin’s for the past twelve. Along the way, we’ve collaborated on a handful of other projects, including my first solo album.

We are more alike than different. I would say time has proven that we are pretty perfectly complimentary. We are both nerds, autodidactic, readers and writers. I would say she is more verbal than I, but that isn’t a far stretch. It would be difficult to find anyone as well-spoken as Gretchen. Her ability to think quickly and speak eloquently makes conversations with her a delight. She is always present and engaged. She has a magical ability to see through to solutions. This is the second thing people fall in love with. The first is her open, light and friendly manner, and the fact that she doesn’t seem self-conscious at all about how physically beautiful she is. The way she looks is just an entry into her true loveliness.read more

We just didn’t care about what you thought we were doing or what you thought of us or our agenda. We weren’t driven by desire to please, and if you thought that we were thinking that way, I can tell you right now that we weren’t. The Jiffy Lube guy who traded us an oil change for a joint, he knew as much about us as anyone did. He didn’t try to hit on us. He knew the ball was in our court only. He bowed to the power of three.

We stood together no matter what the cracks internally. The best way to get us to play well was to insult us, one or all. In fact, sometimes we’d use that knowledge, the unity of the common enemy, to our own advantage. If we were feeling a little lackadaisical or unconnected before a show, one of us would bring up an old insult while we were getting ready to take the stage and then you could be sure we were going ram the music down your throats. You have no idea how we loved playing our instruments. How every night was different, the guitar unearthing melodies and new rhythms endlessly born, the left foot tries a different pattern, the tempo adjusts, the ear uncovers something new. So much of the van conversation could be so esoteric, about furthering the playing, about what we strived to find in the moment-to-moment connection on stage. We searched for words to describe language that has no words, only feeling and sound. You’ll never know the emotional nuance of writing out a set list. There’s so much you’ll never know.read more

Life as an artist is so rewarding on so many levels. Finance is not one of those levels. If you are so inclined to exercise your patron gene and you are enjoying this work, here is a way to contribute to the cause. I bestow many blessings on you, whether you hit the button or not!